Should I buy Walmart shoes or not? It's a tough question. As far as men's and women's athletic shoes go, Walmart footwear seems to be continuously improving. On a recent visit, I found Walmart had good looking running shoes from Avia, Dr. Scholl's, and Starter.
The Avia shoes were trail runners and seemed to be solidly constructed. They had comfortable heel cups, but they seemed much less supportive and almost a tad rough right under the balls of my feet. At just under $30, they seemed to be a good value. Newer and thicker socks might have done the trick for this shoe. Still, I decided to pass for now. I might return to pick these up.
The Dr. Scholl's running shoes offered more consistent padding and support throughout the shoe. They also offered more leather in the overall construction of the shoe. However, I could not get my foot into the shoe without inadvertantly rolling the top rear heel support down as my heel slipped in. Then, the bent heel would irritate the back of my Achilles tendon. This issue might be easily corrected with a shoe horn.
Finally, the Starter running shoes appeared to be solidly constructed and cost less than $20. But, even though they boasted memory foam insoles, they still seemed rather hard and unforgiving to me. Of course, insoles can be replaced.
Ultimately, I chose to pass on Walmart shoes for now. As a very large man, I just wasn't confident that they would hold up for me. However, I can see that Walmart shoes are continuously improving. If I was a normal 175 pound guy, I don't think they would be a bad choice.
If you are in the market for shoes, Walmart us a good place to start. The bigger name brands should demonstrate that they are decisively better.
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